Stranger
by angrypixels
Summary: He was back. He was not a monster as that would mean someone she knew had just forgotten what he used to be. He was not a traitor for that was a name for one who had betrayed something that had once existed before. She did not know him. He was a stranger.
1. Chapter 1

Stranger by angrypixels

Summary: He was back. He was not a monster, for that would mean someone she knew had just forgotten what he used to be. He was not a traitor for that was a name for one who had betrayed something that had once existed before. She did not know him. He was a stranger.

* * *

This person. She did not know him.

The way he stoically waltzed through the large gates of Konoha as if everything was the same before.

She watched him carefully without blinking her eyes, not wanting to miss the slightest twitch of his muscles.

He barely glanced at the newly rebuilt walls and buildings. He did not seem to take note of the newly paved roads underneath his feet. He ignored the silent stares and murmured whispers from the civilians and shinobis watching his slow stroll into their village.

She had just seen him a few weeks ago on the battleground, standing on the opposite side, blood red eyes burning holes into each and every one of the alliance. And suddenly, he switched sides. She remembered it so clearly. The sun was setting. The whole field was silent and they are watched a lone, dark haired figure slowly walk towards the Hokage. He might have just been taking a stroll in the garden if not for the decapitated head of Kabuto dripping a trail of dark dark blood all over the sand. She remembered her mind going blank when he wordlessly knelt down before the Hokage and placed the head before Tsunade. He did not bow down his head, nor did he stare straight into Tsunade's , or anyone else, eyes. He stared straight ahead. At nothing.

After a long moment of silence, she remembered her shishou asking the traitor to rise. Their eyes met and an unspoken truce was made. The war was over with the death of Kabuto. All the undead had crumbled into dust. Tobi had escaped but grievously injured. And now, he was allowed back into Konoha. A reluctant hero.

Her friends were secretly worried that she would break down. After all, she and Naruto had tried and failed to bring their lost teammate back. And now he came back without someone threatening to break every single bone in his body. Still a traitor but also the one who single handedly ended a war. Obviously, she should have strong feelings for him given the number of times she tried again and again to bring him home.

But they were wrong. She did not feel a thing.

His eyes were coal black as they always were when his bloodline was not activated. Eyebrows elegantly arching as if lovingly painted by an artist. Silky smooth yet somehow gravity defying hair moved gently in the wind. Thin lips pursed slightly, not betraying a single emotion.

He was taller than he was when he first left her on the bench 6 years ago. His face was longer, pale and a bit hollow. She could see dark circles around his eyes and a general pale, sickly complexion that had everything to do with exhaustion and nothing to do with natural skin colour.

However he was still handsome. And strikingly so, if not more.

However, she did not know him. This was not her teammate. They had the same face. But she knew that beneath that skin, he wasn't the boy she had a crush on 6 years ago. He wasn't the boy she cried tears over when almost dying under his hand 2 years ago.

No, he was the man, not boy, who became the stranger before her now.

She could feel her fists clench painfully. Her fingers dug into her palm. Warm trickles of liquid concentrated on her knuckles and dripped silently onto the gravel.

He finally stopped walking and stood in front of her only a meter away. Or rather, he stood in front of Tsunade who was standing next to her. He did not say a word. He only stared straight into the Hokage's eyes. She could feel almost all the shinobis around her tensing, waiting for an attack from the once coldblooded betrayer. Except for Naruto who had a silly grin on his face as he stood next to his brother who had finally returned.

Moments passed. She heard her shishou sigh very quietly.

"Stay in the Uchiha compound. Do not leave until I grant permission. I shall send ANBU to watch over you." Tsunade said with a controlled voice. She knew her shishou was just one step away from throwing a temper and destroying the whole street.

He nodded once in acknowledgement. Naruto jumped up into the sky, fists pumping as he shouted "Yea!" A nervous chuckle echoed from the crowd surrounding them and Tsunade turned around with a sweep of her cloak and headed towards the new Hokage tower, no doubt in need of a sake binge.

"Sakura! Teme is back! For good! Team 7 is back!" Naruto jubilantly scrambled towards her and attempted to grab her arms and dance.

She sidestepped immediately, just missing his hands, ignoring the hurt look that crossed his face.

No. He was not back. He never came back.

This stranger. Was not him.

He was not a monster. No. A monster was someone whom you had known before yet somehow became something horrible along the way. Someone who you felt pain for every action they took. Someone who caused you would turn to fate with endless tears, begging for the inexplicable reason how he became the monster he was. Someone who woke you up at night in wordless screams, with images and dreams of how he once was, so long ago.

He was not a traitor, for that would mean that once upon a time, they held something in common, a bond. It meant that he had forsaken something that once was, causing tears and endless sorrow. It meant breaking something that she once upon a time cherished and treasured.

This person in front of her turned to gaze at her with his dark, emotionless eyes. Waiting.

What was there to wait for? She did not know him. There was nothing she had to show him.

He was a stranger.

And without a further glance, Sakura turned around and walked away.


	2. Chapter 2

Stranger by angrypixels

Summary: He was back. He was not a monster, for that would mean someone she knew had just forgotten what he used to be. He was not a traitor for that was a name for one who had betrayed something that had once existed before. She did not know him. He was a stranger.

* * *

"Patient's symptoms have been progressively subsiding."

Sakura mumbled to the intern next to her while he furiously scribbled down notes onto his clipboard.

"Area surrounding chest cavity is tender. Mild bruising present." Sakura lightly placed her fingers onto the bed-bound shinobi in front of her and pushed down gently. The shinobi tried his best not to wince.

Completing her examination, Sakura laced her fingers with a soft glow of green chakra and smoothly allowed it fan out, sinking into her patient's chest. The shinobi gave a quiet sigh of relief.

"Good. You can be discharged by tomorrow. You are doing well for one who had his ribs mauled out. "

"Thanks ugly."

Sakura gave a small smile, reserved for patients just like Sai. She reached out as if to caress his cheek…instead she pinched his cheek with almost all her might.

"Sai. Do not call me ugly." She said sweetly before giving his cheek a final unforgiving squeeze and left a wincing Shinobi to his own measures.

Sakura directed the intern to check up on the other patients and went back to her office. She closed her door, took off her white cloak and sunk down into her cushy chair and sighed.

Her shift was almost over. The first month after the war was a nightmare. Her return to Konoha only meant more work.

Endless patients, nightmarish hours, it was as if she had became a lifeless puppet, pouring chakra into bodies, saving those who could still be saved. After that month, she collapsed after an intense surgery where she basically replaced every drop of blood in a shinobi.

Her shishou ordered immediate bed rest and gave a standing order that all medic nins be forced to rest after working for 12 hours.

As if that will stem the flood of patients overflowing the hospital.

Sighing, Sakura started on the overflowing paperwork sprawled over her desk.

An hour later, Sakura left the hospital and headed straight to the main street. Ino had demanded a girls dinner/get-together and Sakura was not in the mood to go home and change. Her friends should be grateful that she didn't have blood splattered all over her clothes and gore stuck to her hair at least.

"Sakura! Over here!"

Ino gave a grin while Hinata demurely waved when they spotted her at the restaurant entrance.

"Sorry, hope you two didn't wait too long." Sakura apologized as she slid to sit on to the tatami.

"All good. Was just telling Hinata here how bloated the hospital was these days." Ino replied cheerfully while passing the menu to Sakura.

Ino, while a proficient medic nin, had been sent half of her time on missions so as to ease the financial burden of the village, leaving the much more talented Sakura at the hospital healing full time. Sakura longed for the day when she too would be let off full time medic nin shift and sent out for a mission or two. She was after all a ninja and instinct demanded for real action.

After placing her order, the three women eased into a casual chatter about the day to day workings and incidents of the village and their common friends.

"Shika has practically been hovering over me since the war, it's hilarious I tell you!" Ino squealed. "I believe that's would be a natural consequence of the war. We did all almost die. Everyone finally realized what was most important to them." Hinata replied with a small smile.

Sakura gave a knowing smirk to Hinata as she nailed a shrimp tempura before Ino. " Hinata –chan, speaking of that, how's Naruto been treating you?"

Ino and Sakura giggled while watching Hinata blush and stutter in embarrassment. "You know how that idiot tells me everything? He told me about that little scene between you two behind the tents when we all started packing to go home."

Sakura proceeded to relate a wonderfully romantic scene (for Naruto's standards), where Naruto grabbed Hinata's trembling hands and professed his growing admiration and affection for her, especially after being confronted with the possibility of him never being able to see her again.

Ino cooed at the sweetness. "Congratulation, you shy little mouse. Speaking of which.." Ino swayed towards Sakura. "How are things on your side? Has a certain anti-hero been doing much up your lane?"

Sakura momentarily froze. A second later, she shrugged. "No. I haven't seen him since the day we came back."

Both Ino and Hinata gave her a blank look. Sakura sighed. Explaining now was better than never. "Look, what I felt for him before he left the village, it's gone now. I have gone through so much, met so many different people. Things are different now. I am different now. He…isn't the person we fought over so many years ago. "

He was a stranger now. Sakura mentally echoed the conclusion she came to a month back.

Ino raised her eyebrows. "Well, I didn't expect that. After so many years of chasing him, I thought you might still harbor the same feelings." Sakura gave her a weak smile and shook her head silently.

Hinata gave a small nod in understanding. "That's understandable Sakura." Hinata whispered. "We all aren't exactly the people we used to be."

"That's right!" Ino crackled, breaking the solemn atmosphere. She swung an arm around Sakura shoulder and gave her cheek a poke. " We wouldn't be sitting here together otherwise. That is…unless Sakura you have decided you have developed a fondness for Shika..?"

Sakura immediately defended herself and told Ino sternly that she had no interest in people who were too serious and hated working while Ino sputtered in mock anger and Hinata watched with amusement.

Late that night, after trudging home tiredly but with satisfaction from good company, Sakura felt a familiar chakra standing at her doorstep.

"Naruto, how was your day?"

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto bounded up and grabbed her in a hug. "I missed you!"

Sakura took a second to remember that Naruto had in fact been out of the village for a week for a mission.

"Just got back from my mission. You wouldn't believe how many criminals have been preying on civilians when all the shinobis were at war." Naruto huffed in irritation.

Sakura smiled and smoothed his flying blond hair. He was so tall, mature and grown up. What a long way they travelled. He was a true hero now.

Naruto declined when Sakura invited him for tea.

"It's alright. I came over to invite you for dinner tomorrow night. Teme is free too, not that he has anything better to do, holed up in that huge compound of his."

Sakura froze yet again that night. She took a deep breath.

He is a stranger. He was not the boy she knew so many years back.

"Sure. Why not?" Sakura smiled as she closed the door. Good night."


	3. Chapter 3

Stranger by angrypixels

Summary: He was back. He was not a monster, for that would mean someone she knew had just forgotten what he used to be. He was not a traitor for that was a name for one who had betrayed something that had once existed before. She did not know him. He was a stranger.

* * *

Lifting up a cute green dress with white lace, Sakura gave herself a look in the mirror before sighing and tossing the dress onto the bed. She was aiming for confidence, maturity. Not rainbows and cuteness.

Sakura turned around and rummaged through her closet again. She did not have a lot of clothes to choose from though. With the village being destroyed by Pein's invasion and being away for so long for the fourth shinobi war, Sakura didn't actually have the time to pick up a new wardrobe.

After pulling out a few more odd clothes that were obviously bought when she only had half a brain, Sakura managed to pull out a nice close fitting white blouse made of some thin material. Pulling on that and snuggling into a pair of skinny black pants, she admired herself in the mirror again.

She looked like a confident woman, one who knew that she was attractive without the need to show much skin. Some cleavage, but that was nothing astonishing, given the usual shinobi wear that showed more than cover.

As a shinobi, she knew the importance of dressing to impress in certain missions. But for today, she dressed simply to be herself.

With her night attire decided, she quickly cleaned the mess of clothing in her room and sat down to slap on some light make up.

As she lightly rubbed on lip gloss, Sakura heard someone knocking her door and felt a familiar chakra outside.

"Door isn't locked!" she shouted while she grabbed her purse and slipped into a pair of black flats.

Walking out of her room, she saw a familiar figure in her living room poking at a vase filled with roses.

"Ugly." He greeted her without turning, eyes focused on the roses. "These roses…"

"Beautiful, aren't they?" Sakura said as she stepped forward. "And don't call me ugly."

"Did you buy them yourself? As obviously, a person as ugly as you would never receive roses from anyone. I read in a book that some people would in fact buy themselves presents and pretend that they were gifts from other just to show that…"

Out shot a hand that grabbed Sai's chin and Sakura roughly turned his face so their noses were almost touching each other despite their height.

"Sai. They were from a patient. Shut up." She growled before letting go and walking over to the door.

Sakura mentally calmed herself down while she strolled quickly towards Ichiraku while ignoring Sai's questions regarding 'the poor sod who was subconsciously forced into buying roses so as to placate the hot tempered medic nin'.

Sometimes, it was hard not to take offence to Sai's snide remarks when she knew that he just had a misconception regarding socializing. Still, it was better than going to dinner alone.

"Sakura! You're finally here!" shouted Nartuo as he waved her into Ichiraku. Sakura gave him a small smile as she accepted his hug.

"Hope you haven't started eating yet." She said as she sat down with Sai closely following behind. Naruto laughed nervously. "Of course not..." He leaned down and whispered. "You know, I was hoping for a dinner with just the three of us…"

Sakura gleefully smirked inwardly while she gave a polite face of surprise. "Oh, I am so sorry! I thought you meant a reunion for all of us since everyone has been so busy."

Which was why she invited Sai and Kakashi. And Ino. Shikamaru. Choji. Oh and of course Hinata, Kiba, Shino. Can't leave out Tenten, Lee and Neji also.

No way she was going to do a one on one (being Sakura v. Naruto and someone).

She refused to admit that she did not feel comfortable meeting him.

Stealing a glance around the room, she noticed that everyone was enjoying themselves, chatting and catching up. A few bottles of sake were being poured and Sakura quickly grabbed a small cup and sipped a bit. Being a experienced shinobi, upon stepping into the room she had noticed the lone figure who stood in the corner, conveniently using the shadows to hide himself while he quietly surveyed the rest of the room with disinterested eyes.

"Hey forehead." Ino said as she slipped into the seat Sai just vacated. "Looking good today. How was your day?"

Sakura swallowed her sake and placed her cup on the counter. "Not bad. A few meetings with shishou. Hospital wasn't as packed as usual."

"And you had time to go home, shower and change. Good, I am tired of meeting you in blood stained uniforms. "

After a few more moments of idle chat and laughing at Sai's attempt to rile up Naruto, to which he succeeded easily, Ino casually tiled her head towards a certain corner. "Might I ask why he is here tonight? Though he was under house arrest?" She asked nonchalantly.

Sakura discreetly glanced at the figure who had stood unmoving since she came in half an hour ago.

"Shishou decided to allow him out as long as one of us was around to keep an eye on him. Us being me, Naruto or Kakashi. "

"Ah. And he is accepting it?"

"They have an agreement. "

Ino nodded slowly. She knew that as Tsunade's apprentice, Sakura was privy to the almost everything. In fact, Tsunade was fact in the process of dealing with the Elders and had been holing herself up with the other ninja clan leaders and sometimes, even that person himself.

Due to the highly sensitive nature of the meetings, Sakura was forbidden to attend, but she had a good understanding of what was due to happen very soon. She had a hand in helping Tsunade prepare the documents.

"Alright, here's the food! Watch the hot bowls everyone!" Teuchi shouted as he walked into the private room with Ayame, holding trays filled with hot ramen.

Everyone moved away and sat down in empty seats while the ramen was served. It was obviously Naruto's idea that Ichiraku should build a few more floors and even have private rooms to cater to 'ramen parties'. Now, the excuse to not go to Ichiraku due to lack of drinks and privacy was eliminated. That crafty fox fiend.

The night went along somewhat enjoyably. Drinks were freely downed and gossip exchanged. Sakura was thankful that she did not need, nor did the chance arise, to speak to a certain person.

Yet.

But she still kept a casual eye on him. Hokage orders, afterall.

The way he slowly chewed his food as Naruto rambled on about some mission. They way he silently nodded when Kakashi murmured something while hiding his face in his ever-existent porn. The way his chakra flowed along silently along with the rest of the crowd, never spiking nor distinguishing itself as it used to many years before. Blending in, almost invisible yet not entirely forgotten.

This was different. He was different.

And when those onyx eyes landed on her, Sakura was once again at a loss.

What was one to do when faced with the unknown?

She turned her head and gave Sai a hard poke in the ribs, exactly where it was tender.

"Stop calling me ugly, you idiot."

* * *

Finally, with everyone's belly filled with too much ramen and sake, the reunion came to a pleasant ending. Sakura watched as everyone trudged along home. A tipsy Ino waved and shouted a little too loudly as she was dragged away by Shikamaru while Hinata blushed furiously when Naruto discreetly asked her out for a date.

Sakura smiled warmly at her departing friends. It was good that they were alive for another day. Having accepted death as part of life that could happen at any waking moment, she knew to cherish every moment of happiness.

"Well, that went well, didn't it teme? Just like the old days." Naruto said as he placed both of his hands behind his head and swirled around to grin at his silent teammate.

Just like the old days. Naruto's words echoed in her mind.

Sakura heard a faint "Hn" in reply. She turned her head to glance at Sai, silently telling him to wait for her. Sai blinked in reply.

Might as well get it over and done with. Sakura turned towards the person she discreetly avoided the whole night.

"Sasuke."

Wasn't it just a name?

He turned his head and watched her with those eyes.

It was a cool night with gentle wind easing through the trees overhead, the namesake of the village. The clear sky was absent of clouds and the pale moon up above silently watched over her beloved home. Peace.

And this peace did not seem out of place when he was concerned. His swaying ebony bangs hung perfectly along his face so as to not obscure his eyes. The gentle moonlight did nothing to hide his high cheekbones and his perfectly aligned nose. His pale, strong neck, a sign of strength. Power. He wore a simple black shirt and pants. Molded to fit his figure, she could see the underlying lean muscles and the silent power that flowed within. His casual stance with his hands shoved in his pockets showed that while he was at ease, he was ready to switch to battle without any hesitation.

And his eyes, shadowed by those long dark lashes. Mysterious. Unreadable.

So beautiful. So unapproachable.

So far away.

She smiled. The smile she gave to many patients and foreign ambassadors. The one to put nervous ones at ease, to calm the angry ones. It was inviting, unthreatening yet neutral.

The perfect way to deal with the unknown.

"The Hokage would like to meet with you at noon. Please meet me at the back entrance. I shall escort you in." She said. Not too fast, not too slow. Firmly.

He contemplated her for a moment, silently absorbing what she said. He nodded.

Sakura continued to smile. "Good night." And with a gentle wave to Naruto and Kakashi, she turned and grabbed Sai's arm and led him into the night.

It was at times like these, when she truly appreciated Sai. Despite the awkward moments and sarcastic comments, he was sensitive man.

Not a word was spoken as he watched her close her door while he gently caressed his throbbing arm with red finger marks.


	4. Chapter 4

Stranger by angrypixels

Summary: He was back. He was not a monster, for that would mean someone she knew had just forgotten what he used to be. He was not a traitor for that was a name for one who had betrayed something that had once existed before. She did not know him. He was a stranger.

* * *

Close to noon, Sakura finished with the paperwork at hand at the hospital and strolled over to the Hokage tower. To be honest, she did not know how she should feel towards the ex-rogue. Having somewhat convinced herself to treat him as a stranger, it confused her as to whether she should be cool and formal or friendly yet distant. The only difference between the two attitudes would be that Naruto would give her less of a headache with the latter. She understand how…simple minded and easy going Nartuo was to the extent that he was willing to happily bury his long lost brother's plight of revenge and everything that came with it at the back of his mind. After a few minutes of consideration, Sakura decided on being professionally friendly and conveniently unable to spare any time to be anymore than that. Sakura had long ago came to the honest and cruel conclusion that she never meant more than a few faint memories of tears and screechy whines to someone who had higher priorities in life.

A stranger could never expect much from another stranger.

Upon reaching the back entrance to the Hokage tower, Sakura saw a dark figure standing under the shadow stepping outwards.

The noon heat seemed to have no effect on him on his ivory complexion. Obsidian eyes casually watched her as she closed in, his body a relaxed poise. Standing in front of him, Sakura could not resist but marvel slightly how the sun lights brought out shades of dark blue in his dark hair. Even the thin tendrils caressing his cheekbones in the soft wind seemed to sparkle faintly.

"Good afternoon. The Hokage would like to speak with you." She greeted with a small smile on her face. The stoic male blinked and nodded in reply. Sakura silently lead the way and opened the back entrance with a series of seals.

Walking through the silent passageway, the soft sounds their shoes made against the polished floor echoed startlingly loudly into Sakura's mind.

So here she was, walking along with him. Just the two of them.

Stealing a sideward glance at the man next to her, she took note of his emotionless mien and the quiet way he surveyed his surroundings. Not a word was spoken during their short journey.

Sakura could not help but feel a little awkward. Usually when escorting foreign dignitary, she always managed to have some casual chit chat going on no matter how gruff or suspicious they were. She would smile, widen her emerald eyes and show honest sincerity. It was a good way to calm the nervous ones and sometimes even glean offhanded yet potentially important information for later negotiation.

This quiet, calm person had no connection to her impression of the young boy hidden deep in her memories. Contrary to what others though, her old teammate was not a silent boy. He fumed, he ranted. Not being able to vent out his frustration and anger on his life's target, he resorted to insults, tempers and vocally berating those around him. Like the rest of his team.

That did not matter now. Sakura thought to herself silently as she stopped before a door. It was different now. They were different people.

"Here we are." Sakura said as she knocked loudly on the door. A few moments later, she heard Shizune answer. Opening the door and nodding to her charge to enter, Sakura watched as he walked in slowly before closing the door and standing guard outside.

After an hour, Sakura heard her mentor's summons and entered the room. The atmosphere seemed somewhat tense as she saw her mentor furrowing her eyebrows while the dark haired nin stood to the side, arms crossed defensively.

"Sakura. " Tsunade did not bother to greet her apprentice and went straight to the point. "There shall be an open trial with the village elders at the stand and the last surviving Uchiha as witness."

Witness? Sakura asked herself. She knew that a trial involving the elders would come up and that he was involved, but as a witness? For what? Sakura kept her confusing thoughts to herself as her mentor continued.

"In order to avoid any hindrance or obstruction, official documents and notifications will only be issued a week before the trial. Shizune will deal with the paper work. During this period, I want you to accompany Uchiha at all times. All your medical duties will be suspended unless emergencies arise. Under no circumstances shall you appear overly suspicious or wary. This is crucial to catch the elders when they are unsuspecting. "

Accompany him at all times? While keeping a blank expression, she could feel her innards stretch and twist in discomfort.

"If all goes well, the elders will get what they deserve." Tsunade smirked happily like a child whose wish had just came true. "Uchiha. You are no longer under house arrest. However, keep it low till the trial. I want full cooperation with you." Tsunade glared at the brooding Uchiha who nodded quietly, but Sakura could see that he thinking hard and fast with the way his eyes flashed like storms. Definitely not joyful thoughts.

Well this month was obviously going to be a walk in the park, Sakura though sarcastically to herself as she watched Tsunade dismissed the silently fuming nin who turned around and left the room without a word.

With him out of the way, Tsunade turned her gaze to her apprentice.

"Uchiha brats. They all have an attitude problem. Runs in the family, I swear. " Taking a swig from a sake bottle that suddenly appeared out of nowhere, Tsunade turned and raised her eyebrows at the sour expression on Sakura's face.

"Sakura. All questions shall be answered eventually. " She warned her apprentice with a gentle tone. "Do not let your feelings affect your mission. We need a united front out there. "

Sakura twitched her shoulder uneasily in response.

"Most of the village is still suspicious of Uchiha despite the fact that he killed the traitor Kabuto. If he is to stay here for good, the first people to welcome him would have to his old team. Naruto is too forgiving for his own good and everyone knows it. Kakashi will be occupied during this period and Sai has never interacted with Uchiha at all. That leaves only you, the logical one, to show the rest of the village that he is relatively harmless. In addition, you are to keep an eye out for any danger coming within the village. The Uchiha brat won't know better given that he has been out of touch with the village for so long. Do you understand me?"

Sakura could not stop herself from narrowing her eyes slightly at her sensei's words but relaxed a second later. His old team? There was no team. He was never part of it.

"Understood shishou. I am a kunochi. I shall perform my duty to the utmost of my ability." She replied emotionlessly.

Tsunade watched Sakura for another moment before closing her eyes and waving her hand at Sakura in dismissal. "Go. Just don't make it look too fake."

With a quick bow, Sakura left her mentor's office with heavy heart.

Sakura did not have much time to ponder on her mission as she stepped into the noon sun again. Standing outside the tower and leaning against the wall without a care in the world was her mission target. He seemed to have calmed down from the brewing storm of emotions in the office just a few moments ago and was back to being stoic. Upon sighting her exit, he slowly stood straight and quirked an eye at her.

Damn attitude. Sakura though furiously as she tried to put on a smile that did not scream flakiness.

"Well. That went well." She chirped as she clapped her hands together in makeshift glee. She was ready to commence her mission, whether she wanted to or not. "Shall we head over to the hospital for your long due physical check up, Sasuke?"

Without waiting to see if he followed, she marched towards the direction of the hospital with markedly heavy footsteps.


	5. Chapter 5

Stranger by angrypixels

Summary: He was back. He was not a monster, for that would mean someone she knew had just forgotten what he used to be. He was not a traitor for that was a name for one who had betrayed something that had once existed before. She did not know him. He was a stranger.

* * *

Rather than waste time by asking questions and getting non verbal responses, Sakura requested her dark haired patient to write down all the answers with his right hand while she drew blood from his left arm.

There were times when Sakura loved being a medic. Moments like these were precious and always priceless blackmail material.

No matter how he tried to hide it, Sakura saw the minuscule twitch of his eyes the moment she placed a needle near his vein and the momentary pause of his writing when she began the process of drawing his blood.

Some stoic, world weary ex-avenger indeed.

"You have to write more than water and food in that column, Sasuke, or this questionnaire would be redundant." She reminded him and his eyes immediately darted to the clipboard and the scratching sound of the pen continued with a tinge of ferociousness.

After taking enough blood from her patient, Sakura watched with amusement as multiple expressions flashed through his face as he completed the rest of the questionnaire. He frowned, he twitched, he glared and at times, he looked slightly confused.

Sakura was feeling pretty happy with the fact that a mere questionnaire would put the great ex-avenger at a loss.

Finally, Sasuke finished it and handed the clipboard to Sakura with a slightly sour expression.

"Now that's done, let's proceed to the physical examination. Please strip." She said lightly and stood back and gave him an expectant look.

Sakura swore she saw some unknown emotion from Sasuke's eye streak past before sinking back down into the quiet black sea. He then proceeded to follow her instructions.

If Sakura didn't know better and if her patient was someone like Gemma, the slow and casual way her patient started to pull off his shirt and pants was surely an attempt at strip tease and to fluster the pink haired medic. However, given that she knew very well that her name did not appear on this person's very short list of people to care about, Sakura mentally skipped through all possible implications and quietly waited for the show to finish.

Besides, Sakura thought quietly to herself as her eyes roamed his body unashamedly, although he did have a toned body with well defined muscles, the countless shinobis she had to lay her eyes on each and every day made her quite apathetic to any show of quality male flesh.

She was no blushing virgin. She was a trained, bloodied kunochi.

With Sasuke sufficiently naked with minimal cloth covering essential clan building parts, Sakura coolly and proficiently measured his height and weight and scanned his body both by the naked eye and with her chakra to check for abnormality. She pressed and stretched muscles and tendons with practice and ignored the nervous shudders and glares her patient gave. After a quiet examination, Sakura scribbled her findings on her clipboard and soberly requested Sasuke to clothe himself and wait while she analyzed her findings.

Fifteen minutes later, Sakura obtained the blood test report and was just about to knock and enter the examination room when she froze. A split second later and with years of practice of battle silence and grace, she stepped forward lightly and gazed through door's small glass window.

There stood the tall, dark haired avenger, facing a window with his hands tucked into his pockets. She could not see his face with his back facing the door, but she knew that he was watching the scenery outside intensely.

She had a good guess of what had caught his attention. After all, this was one of her favorite rooms in the hospital. On many tired and exhausting days, she would stand at the exact spot and watch her beloved village. Be it broad daylight or at night, it was breathtaking and quietly satisfying. Situated on the fifth floor of the hospital, this particular room had a panoramic view of Konohagakure. The towering green trees, the haphazard buildings and electric lines strewn all over the place, the main streets and the Hokage mountain. From here, you could see the life of Konoha, where both nin and civilians lived in harmony. Despite the destruction caused by Pein's invasion, the village had been rebuilt again by its occupants. Facilities were replaced and homes were relocated.

Although from appearance it was a very different scene five years ago, it was the same place Sakura shed blood and sweat to keep safe and sound.

Sakura knew that he was staring at this foreign view with his stoic eyes, thinking that it was so different from what he might have remembered. The academy had been moved, parks were rebuilt. Even that stupid bench was gone.

Sakura mentally stabbed herself with a kunai to bring her thoughts back to reality.

All that was in the past, she thought bitterly to herself. It was not as if a stranger like him would know or care anyway.

After taking a deep breath, she plastered a polite smile on her face and opened the door.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." She said as he turned his head to look at her.

"Ah, beautiful view isn't it?" She continued as she sat down on a chair and beckoned him over. "Ever since Pein's invasion, we have done a pretty good job with rebuilding everything. It was a great chance to remap our village outlay. Some of the electric wiring was done horribly. Everything is fresh and new now. "

Sasuke ambled forward slowly and sat down on the bed while he seemingly listened to Sakura ramble on about the new and improved Konohagakure.

"It was as if the old village had never existed at all." She exclaimed after a few moments of retelling the successful reconstruction. A strong surge of pressure immediately surged through her body and caught her throat painfully.

However, Sakura did not let this faze her.

"But then, I guess you wouldn't remember." She smiled sweetly without missing a beat, staring straight into his dark eyes.

And he stared right back at her, unmoving.

Sakura blinked and looked down, flipping through her notes nonchalantly.

"Right, shall we start then?"

Sakura quickly went through the results and briefly summarized each finding.

"At first glance, your body condition seems fine. However, after doing a chakra scan on your body and reading your blood test report, it would seem that you have been straining your body for a long period of time."

She gave a polite 'hmm' before glancing up from her notes to look at her patient.

"Have you been on a rigid schedule without stopping to rest or eat properly?" She asked innocently.

Sasuke stared back stoically without saying a word.

"Your white blood cell count is pretty low and my chakra examination showed slow cell regeneration rate and response to stimulus. You may not feel it, but your body is breaking down. See?" Sakura pointed to the duly completed questionnaire with the head of her pen.

"You mentioned here that you have trouble sleeping with low appetite and occasional muscle spasm. It's pretty obvious that you have been forcing your body to work harder than it can."

She then tsked loudly and shook her head dramatically as she read on loudly.

"Oh dear, a meal a day at most? Some fruit and bread? A few hours of sleep every few days? My my, you must have been under pretty stressful situation to be unable to eat proper meals or rest. No matter, it is a nin's life to undergo dire missions with time constraints. Many nins somehow manage to treat their bodies without a care and come back half dead expecting me to patch them up as good as new. That is, if they do manage to come back at all." With an easy laugh, Sakura gave him a look loaded with feigned pity.

"Don't worry, I don't blame you at all."

And yes, she did see the twitch of his fingers gripping the bed sheets.

Briskly continuing without a pause, Sakura then pointed her pen at his hands and feet.

"All that pale skin, cold limbs and tense muscles does not constitute a part of any personality trait, despite the general female population's assumption." She flashed a brilliant smile with her teeth. "I am sure that you have been feeling dizzy and weak after exerting yourself for too long or after concentrating strongly. I can confidently tell you that if this situation continues any longer, you may find yourself suddenly losing conscious and falling into a coma. It's as if you really don't care about living past eighteen. "

Sighing loudly like a medic with a stubborn patient, Sakura closed her notes with a snap turned to watched Sasuke with a critical expression.

"Now we wouldn't want that to happen, do we? As your medic, I have already drawn up a plan on which you can base your day to day dietary needs with suitable exercise. We have a long and tough way ahead and I expect you to follow my plan rigidly in order to take in all those nutrients and proteins you have sorely lacked all these years. "

Sakura stood up, placed her hands on her hips and arched an eyebrow at her silent but definitely brooding patient. "Unless, of course, you have some urgent mission to complete or some life or death wish to fulfill?"

After another moment of loaded silence, Sasuke slowly stood up and shook his head.

Sadly expecting some explosive reaction, Sakura hid her disappointment and gleefully clapped her hands. "Good. Since the Hokage has discharged all of my usual duties, I shall be able to cater solely to your health needs until otherwise instructed. Let's start right now and head to the food market."

She gave him a sweet smile, turned her body around, flipped her shoulder length pink hair in the air and marched towards the door without a backward glance.

Kami, that felt good, she thought to herself in satisfaction as she strolled with purpose towards the exit of the hospital with her ward following closely behind.


	6. Chapter 6

Stranger by angrypixels

* * *

"The basic food plan for a healthy diet consists of a large portion of carbohydrates, followed by fruits and vegetables, then meats and finally fats and oils."

Sakura automatically fell into a lecturing mode as she walked side by side with Sasuke through the bustling village market while avoiding speeding carts, wandering poultry and frustrated shoppers. Sasuke threw steely glances around and purposely gave a wide berth to every person. Not that they wanted to be near him. Civilians may not recognize him, but most of the older nins in the village would have recognized him from for his signature Uchiha appearance or the large clan symbol drawn on the back of his shirt.

Sakura took note of this but told herself not to give any thought on it.

"Your muscles are breaking down due to malnutrition. You need to take in more proteins to build it back." Sakura said and stopped in front of a poultry stall. The stench of freshly butchered livestock filled the air.

"Let's start here. What type of meat would you prefer?" Sakura asked as she turned around to look at her silent follower who stopped walking the same time she did. He slowly turned his head as he surveyed the different slabs of meat laid out on the table.

"Beef." He intoned quietly. Sakura nodded. Beef was good, rich in proteins.

And they both stood there staring at each other.

Sakura frowned. "Well, go on. Buy the beef. Lean meat though. "

Sasuke stared at her and she could see disbelief in his eyes.

How hard was it to buy food yourself? Was he expecting her to buy it for him?

Sakura pointed to the butcher. "Just tell the man that you want a few pounds of lean beef. Are you expecting someone else to help you buy your food?" She chided. And it better not be me, she thought furiously to herself.

Blinking, Sasuke seemed to understand the situation and hesitantly stepped forward. Sakura found it hilarious when the butcher couldn't hear his mumbling and shouted at the top of his voice "What? I can't hear you son, speak louder!".

After some minutes where there seemed to be some miscommunication regarding the amount of meat bought and the cost, the pair finally stepped away with Sakura fighting off a grin and Sasuke looking utterly frustrated while holding onto a plastic bag yet holding it away from his body as if it was a diseased corpse.

"Well, that's settled." Sakura said as she gave him the encouraging smile she gave to patients who managed to finally follow simple instructions. "Shall we go on to the vegetable stall?"

Sakura saw Sasuke's face become even paler despite the scorching sun.

Sakura spent the rest of the afternoon leading Sasuke, who reminded her of a lost sheep, around the market, showing him the different stalls, naming different foods and tips on how to differentiate between the fresh and rotting.

"No Sasuke, that is not an eggplant. That's taro." Sakura explained patiently as he picked up the tuber vegetable and looked at her in question. "The colouring may be a little similar, but taro is much more harder and takes a longer time to cook." Squatting down, Sakura picked up a startling purple eggplant from the cart and squeezed it to show her point. "Taro does have a lot of fiber which is also good for your diet." Sasuke seemed to understand this and handed the vegetable in his hand to the stall keeper along with a handful of tomatoes.

"Ugly. Shopping for dinner?"

Sakura whipped her head around and smiled. "Sai!" She stood up and gave him a hug which he bore with his usual smile. Sai glanced sideways at the silent man who was watching him guardedly. Sakura took note of Sai's interest in Sasuke and stood aside to see how they would interact.

A lot of people had commented on their similar facial features. Dark hair, dark eyes, straight nose and somewhat pale pallor. However, Sakura knew that they were very different. She was sure that both males knew of each other and had heard a few things about each other, one being the replacement of the other. Sakura was sure that with Sai being in ROOT, he knew much more about Sasuke than the other way round. And with Sai's annoying habit of giving inappropriate nicknames…

"Hello man-whore. You must have sacrificed quite a bit of your body to get Ugly here to do your shopping. Do you satisfy her before or after?"

Sakura could feel her eyes bulge out in horror and before she knew it, she had her hand on Sai's ear and was twisting it with all her might without tearing it off.

"Sai! How many times do I have to tell you to stop sprouting out rubbish and offending everyone!" She shouted into his ear as she pulled him down to her level. Sai winced in pain while somehow keeping his fake smile plastered on his face.

She gave him another painful tug while quickly turning to glance at Sasuke's reaction. She noticed that he did not have much of an expression, but she was willing to bet that he was frozen in shock with the way he stared back unblinking.

"Ugly, why are you angry? Has he not satisfied you enough? If that is the case, I am sure you can find that dog in heat to help fulfill your urges…"

Sakura growled and grabbed Sai's neck and strangled him while shaking him back and forth.

"Stop bringing Kiba into the conversation! And how are my urges your business! You idiot good for nothing trouble maker!"

After squeezing his throat for good measure, she finally let go and Sai collapsed onto the ground wheezing and massaging his neck. She turned around to look at Sasuke who had widened his eyes slightly as he stared at his heaving lookalike.

"Ignore Sai. He is a social retard. He has this stupid habit of giving nicknames which are either opposite or a hilarious version of what he thinks of a person on first impression. We have been telling him not to do so and explained why yet he refuses to listen. Stupid idiot. Must love the attention and all the violence I inflict on him." She glared at Sai as he finally stood up.

Sai winced when he tried to speak and coughed a bit. "You never answered my question. Isn't that considered impolite?"

"You are impolite." She retorted. "I am under orders to be Sasuke's medic and I am helping him to plan a proper meal."

Sai nodded slowly while he scanned Sasuke from head to toe. Sakura knew that Sasuke was feeling very uneasy as Sai watched him like a lion with a piece of meat in addition to the fact that a crowd had gathered around to watch the little drama. Giving Sai a small push, she shooed him away and told him she would spar with him the next day.

Sai nodded while shooting knowing glances at Sasuke as he walked away.

"Forgive him. Being part of ROOT means that he sees the world differently and doesn't really know how to act around people." Sakura said as she looked up to the setting sun. "It's getting late. Let's head back to your place and I will teach you how to prepare your food."

The trek to the Uchiha compound was not a light hearted one. Once the faze of being verbally accused and being stuck in a crowd faded off, Sakura noticed the tension in Sasuke's shoulders slowly fading off to be replaced with…with something Sakura couldn't guess.

As they edged closer and closer, Sakura noticed the empty streets and abandoned houses. The only chakra signs around were her own and her guide. She knew that the Uchiha clan owned the entire street and ever since the massacre, it had gone unoccupied and to waste. Unattended buildings, overgrown trees and shrubbery, signs swinging on long ago rusted hinges, it was as if the area had not seen a soul in ages. Which was true, since all those souls had perished so many years ago.

Over the years, Sakura had tried to place herself in Sasuke's situation. Having her whole family killed, a whole clan lost in one night at a young age. To be lost and alone with only revenge on mind. It was hard to imagine what Sasuke had gone through.

But then, it didn't matter to her. Sakura gave herself a forceful mental shake. She stared at the tall, muscular back in front of her as they turned to walk into the main entrance of the compound. She wasn't that boy. And this man in front of her, wasn't the boy she thought she knew either.

Inside, the compound was remarkably clean without litter, but then, there was little else other than houses that were sealed shut. Sakura guessed that Sasuke had used his weeks of confinement to clean up the whole compound, sweeping leaves, uprooting dead trees and dumping rubbish. It all looked a little dreary with a lack of greenery.

The main branch's house was situated in the middle of the compound, right next to the main road. It was a large one, a home to a once upon a time large family. Sakura expected to feel a sense of foreboding upon stepping barefooted into the main house. Perhaps cobwebs, mysterious footstep sounds, dried blood splattered over the floors. However, she was a surprised when all she found was an empty, clean house. And when its sole owner switched on the bright lights that, it appeared a little too empty.

Despite all that, she wished with all her heart that she wasn't here. In the same house as this stranger.

Upon setting all the food down on the kitchen counter, Sakura turned to face Sasuke.

"Since this is the first time, I will show you a few ways on how to prepare your meals so as to ensure that nutrients are not lost during the cooking process. Also, I took the liberty of …"

Sakura was cut off by a large banging sound outside, shouts of an over familiar voice and a surge of an overbearing chakra.

"I invited Naruto and Kakashi-sensei over. It wouldn't do to leave out the rest of the team." She said. Sasuke gave her a blank look. Sakura gave him a fake sweet smile and shooed him to get the door.

All for the sake of giving a united front. Sakura thought to herself grimly as she started taking out the grocery.

In the end, Naruto's exuberant shouting and Kakashi's snide remarks got onto Sakura's nerves and she threw them out of the Uchiha kitchen and ordered Sasuke to help out while giving him cooking instructions. It was odd to work side by side as he obediently obeyed her and sometimes flashed his sharingnan to follow her actions and chop up the vegetables quickly and accurately. Really, you would have thought he was on a mission to kill with the way he stoically held the pots and pans.

After a noisy dinner with generous helpings of meat, rice and stewed vegetables (although Sakura still felt the whole affair seemed forced when she laughed along half-heartedly at Naruto's proclamation that all was well again) she sat down with a full stomach and wrote out various reminders and tips while Naruto and Sasuke washed up the dishes. Kakashi, the lazy pervert, had disappeared with a poof after eating his share.

Sakura literally had to butt into a one sided shouting match and drag Naruto out of the Uchiha house afterwards.

"That was great! I still can't believe he is back!" Naruto exclaimed happily as he walked her home. "Soon, he will be back with us permanently and we will be a team again."

Sakura gave him a weak smile but didn't say a word. She knew Naruto was envious of the other teams in the same year and the way they stood together never breaking apart. He was just happy that his best friend was back yet he still had not figured out what the next step would be. Life had always been moving on yet Naruto might be the only one stuck in the past.

"Hey Sakura-chan, while washing dishes, teme asked me about Sai." Said Naruto as they neared her flat. "He asked who he was and I told him Sai was just as a teme as him."

Sakura laughed and told Naruto of the market incident as she was sure as hell Sasuke wouldn't mention it to Naruto.

"Hahaha! Man-whore, isn't that just great!" Naruto clutched his stomach as he almost rolled onto the ground. "It's way worse than the stupid name Sai keeps calling me. Remember the clothes he wore when he was with the snake bastard? Now that is man-whore. How could he fight without all those clothes falling off? "

Sakura whole-heartedly agreed and they chucked as they thought of the various underlying reasons for the snake sannin's dress code for his underlings. As Sakura unlocked her door and stepped in, Naruto suddenly leaned towards her and whispered dramatically. "Teme also mentioned that you tortured Sai at the village market and he enjoyed it. You know, Sakura-chan, I always knew you were violent and if that turns you on, I will be perfectly fine to take Sai's place. You don't have to choose him you know, I bet he doesn't even know what pleasure is and I am always available. Why, Ero-sensei taught me some tricks that you might like…"

And with that, Sakura slammed the door in Naruto's face.

Well, at least that was all a good show for the ANBU watching them.


	7. Chapter 7

Stranger by angrypixels

* * *

Ever so carefully, Sakura watched as she poured as a drop of blue liquid into the test tube on the lab counter. Upon contact with the green liquid already inside, the mixture instantly became as clear as water.

Sakura let out a loud sigh of relief and lifted the test tube to the light. Perfect. Just the way she expected.

Smiling softly, she lowered her hand and started to pour the mixture into smaller test tubes and sealed them to prevent further exposure to air.

This clear mixture was her more recent invention and in her opinion, the potentially the best and most dangerous one. The blue liquid was a chemical compound that reacted with brain cells, specifically, those associated with dreams and thoughts, with a touch of sedatives. The green mixture was in fact liquefied chakra, Sakura's chakra in fact. It was produced by intense concentration and chakra control and very volatile.

Once ingested, this seemingly innocent mixture would travel to the brain of its hosts and remain dormant until Sakura 'ignited' her chakra inside. And that was when the magic starts. Through endless trial and error, Sakura had successfully found a way to 'inject' emotions into her chakra which would induce the host to create such emotion inducing dream, or if she wanted it to be more complex, she could 'inject' images and literally create dreams. That, of course, would require much more fine tuning. Not something anyone could make which made the mixture quite hard for someone else to recreate.

Satisfied that the mixtures were firmly contained, Sakura pressed a button for an intern to enter.

"Inject these into the IV bags of test subject batch A."

The intern nodded her head and scurried out to carry out her orders.

Her current specimens were designed to induce calm and peace. No doubt her patients would soon be dreaming of rabbits, sheeps, clouds or whatever their subconscious deemed to give off that tranquil feeling.

Once she got back the results from this batch of clinical trials, she was ready to move on to the more complex stage of her mixture, or 'dream potion', as she temporarily named it. Creating a full fledge dream.

It might be the ultimate therapy for traumatised patients. On the other hand, it could potentially become a very lethal weapon in interrogation and warfare. Due to its potential lethality, this experiment was under heavy wraps and all those involved were under seals of secrecy.

Standing up and stretching her aching muscles, Sakura noticed that it was past midnight. Her stomach choose this moment to let out a loud rumble. Wincing, Sakura quickly cleaned up and left the lab.

Even at this hour, some restaurants were still open, catering to the night crowd and nins who had gotten off duty or returned from a mission. However, those places were usually loud and rowdy and Sakura wasn't in the mood to subject her ears to torture.

Just when she stepped out intending to go home and enjoy instant ramen, she felt a soft tinge of chakra brush past. It was a familiar one. Uchiha Sasuke

Sakura paused and looked up to see a figure jump down from the roof and land silently in front of her.

Knowing that he would never be the one to initiate a conversation, Sakura gave him a weary smile. "Good evening Sasuke. Taking a midnight stroll?"

Instead of answering the simple question, Sasuke gave her a whole body scan, no doubt taking in her rumpled hair, tired eyes, dirty lab coat and wobbly legs.

"Dinner?" he asked upon completing his inspection of her appearance.

"Going home to have some now." Sakura replied, which earned her a perfectly arched eyebrow in contempt.

"I have leftovers." And with that, he promptly turned around and walked in the direction of his home.

Only after a few steps did he turn around and give Sakura a 'what are you waiting for' expression, did she closed her gaping mouth and walked forward to join him.

During the silent walk to the Uchiha compound, Sakura couldn't help but contemplate on how things had changed within a month.

A month ago, she had brought Sasuke to the market and cooked for him at his home for the first time.

Previously, the sole Uchiha only haunted places such as the ramen store, furniture shops or training grounds. Now, he was becoming more of a common sight in Konoha, walking in the markets, wandering in the streets or generally making himself seen in public.

With the Hokage's order, Sasuke was always accompanied everywhere by either Naruto, Sakura or Kakashi, notwithstanding the presence of hidden ANBU monitoring his every move, Sakura was left with the butt of babysitting whenever Naruto was not available. Kakashi had all but vanished ever since the first team meal a month ago.

As if trying to make up for all these years of lost team bonding time, Sakura had been literally dragged to the Uchiha compound for meals and spars at least a few times a week. No matter how tired or unwilling she was, a sad look with 'Don't you want to eat with us?' or 'I got teme to cook tempura' was enough to send give herself painful heart pangs. She knew better than most how much Naruto missed that short-lived times when they were young, when they were whole. In the end, she would be sitting in the clean and pristine kitchen of Sasuke's home, eating whatever he had cooked.

Which wasn't too bad. It just could use a bit more flavours and varieties other than tomatoes.

"Out by yourself?" Sakura asked as they neared their destination.

"Dobe dragged me out here and told me to wait for you to get off work."

Ah Naruto's instructions, which explained why ANBU allowed him to stand right there all by himself. Sakura sometimes wondered if Naruto had an inking of Tsunade's plan and tried to give Sasuke more public exposure.

With the frequent reappearance of the Uchiha fan symbol in the village, civilians quickly started to recognize his stoic face as the sole survivor of the Uchiha clan massacre and pointed and stared as if he was some exotic animal.

Civilians and their lack of regard for their own safety, really.

The faze died down after a few days and he just became another shinobi face in the crowd. However, it was different for the rest of the ninja population in Konoha. Civilians may not have great memory for the ups and downs in ninja history nor would they understand the intricate rules and regulations, both spoken and unspoken, of the life of a ninja. While accompanying and keeping an eye on Sasuke during his shopping trips, Sakura sometimes was on the receiving end of a resentful glare or a distasteful side glance for just being in the company of the ex-traitor. She was thankful that no words or blows were traded…yet.

Yes, he was back in the village. Whether he could integrate back in was another matter.

The attitude of the nin did not surprise Sakura at all. If she had a choice in the matter, she would be ignoring his whole existence altogether. Rather, since she was ordered to acknowledge his existence, Sakura was…disconcert to say the least.

Mulling over her thoughts while following Sasuke, Sakura made sure that she was a few steps behind him and not within his personal space. She had to admit, during this month, she found out a lot about his personal habits compared to when they were still twelve.

During the first few times she entered the Uchiha main house upon just pulling aside the door, she was greeted by immediate confrontation with its owner who gripped a kunai behind his back, loaming over his would-be guest. No polite greetings were exchanged despite Naruto's cheerful shouts that echoed through the hallway and Sakura's quiet 'good day'.

Well-meant help with food and cutlery was rejected. Wary glances were shot at them every once in a while Sasuke stood at the stove and she knew that his senses were alert with their every single breath. She wondered if he expected them to leash a rain of senbon at his back while he tossed pans. His behaviour told her wonders of his team dynamics, if any, during his time outside the village.

Meals were terse events, with the majority of the conversation carried along by Naruto and herself. Sasuke rarely chirped a word, always focused on his food while watching them both out of the corner of his eye.

Being a missing nin subject to harsh environments and unstable lifestyles made Sasuke extremely uneasy and paranoid, and Sakura guessed that he was on the edge of a nervous breakdown whenever another presence was inside his dwelling. Naruto may have been a exceptional case given him being an energetic blond ball of happiness without a bad bone in his body. Besides, one pair of Sharingan was sufficient to keep an eye on him. However, with Sakura in the mix, Sasuke might have a hard time convincing his subconscious that she was not a threat. Having never willingly paid him a visit since he returned, she knew she wasn't the friendliest person to him.

She could imagine how heartbroken Naruto felt whenever Sasuke acted like he was going to attacked at any time, even in the company of his friends.

However, fate had a unique way with things, including Sasuke.

After the first few times of playing host, Sasuke stopped twitching at the sight of his guests holding anything that resembled a weapon, including chopsticks.

After the 1st week, he refrained from rushing out to the door with killing intent and instead stood at the door somewhat calmly and gave her a small acknowledging nod when she greeted him.

In the 2nd week, while allowing her to stand next to him and wipe the wet dishes he cleaned, he would quietly inform her of the days when Naruto and Kakashi weren't available, an unspoken request for her company into the world outside.

In the 3rd week, she found herself sitting on top of the kitchen counter on her free days, watching him as he easily strolled back and forth inside the kitchen preparing food. She gave herself small smiles as she watched him frown while rummaging through his fridge, obviously unhappy that a certain dobe had ransacked his food supply. She would then find herself understanding his silent looks and willingly joining him on another trip to the market.

In the 4th week, she found herself getting off duty and automatically trudging up to a mahogany door bearing the fan symbol, to be greeted with a quick scan of her body and a warm cup of tea when she particularly tired. On some occasions, she was surprised with a towel and pointed look to take a shower when she reeked of blood and death. After a look here and a nudge there, she even ended up sleeping in his guestroom when it was too late to go home, breathing into the clean, minty smell of a freshly cleaned yet oversized shirt he wordlessly gave her when he closed her door. She would always softly trace the Uchiha fan printed on the back before slipping it on.

And today, he went out of the way to care for her when he could have stayed home and ignored Naruto's request.

A sudden surge of warmth filled her body and her heart. Wetness filled her eyes and before she knew it, a tear trickled off her check and fell onto the dark ground without a sound.

She didn't know this person who was in front of her.

He was nowhere like the boy who pushed her away. The boy who smirked and sneered at his teammates' feeble attempts to improve. The boy who always left his teammates without a glance after each mission. The boy who turned his back just when everything had seemed to finally fall into place.

Someone left. And someone else came back. She didn't even know whether to be happy or not.

Before she knew it, her nose bumped against something hard.

He turned around and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh its nothing." She yawned. "Just tired. Need to yawn and get some tears in my eyes. "

While she sat at his table again, hands placed in her lap gripped tightly as she watched him reheat the food, she felt relieved yet heartbroken at the same time.

Bowls of rice. Steaming miso soup. Grilled fish. Fried vegetables.

He sat before her. They both bowed together and quietly said 'itadakimasu', giving thanks for the simple meal.

As she used her chopsticks to help herself to a piece of carrot, she did not miss the way he quickly glanced at the photo placed on the counter nearby.

Sakura knew very well that it was one of the few photos of the Uchiha family left in the empty compound. All four of them smiling at the camera.

She felt her heart tremble in sorrow.

"Sasuke..." she asked, trying her best to not left her voice wobble. "Did you forget to add salt to the vegetables?"

She watched him nibbled a carrot and frowned. He then left the table and strolled to the kitchen.

A tear rolled down to her chin and fell into the bowl of rice in her hand.

"Thank you." She said as she heard him place the salt shaker onto the table. She took a bite of her rice, not raising her head to look at him.

Rice had never tasted so salty.

Suddenly, a loud banging echoed through the house. Immediately, Sasuke's eyes twirled into crimson and he sprang up and raced out to the door. Sakura quickly wiped her tears and stood up to follow.

At the door, she saw Sasuke standing with his back facing her, hands clenched into fists. A team of black clad ANBU stood at the door.

"Uchiha Sasuke" the leader intoned tonelessly as he raised a scroll. Sakura could see the clear red seal. The seal of the Hokage.

"You are now under arrest for betraying Konoha, associating yourself with known traitors of Konoha and taking part in or aiding in the murders and deaths of the nins and civilians of this village and those of its allies."


	8. Chapter 8

Stranger by angrypixels

* * *

Humans. The root of all evil.

Everything that had led to this fateful day was all due their pride. Pride led to envy. Envy led to greed. Greed led to wrath. Wrath led blood, violence and destruction.

In the end, it all led to death. Humans were doomed to die prematurely due to their very nature.

Whispers echoed around Sasuke as he sat in the middle of an oval chamber, words pounding into his head. His hands were placed loosely in his lap and were chained with chakra absorbing handcuffs. His bangs brushed past his eyes as he bent his head down staring at the ground, hiding his face from the rest of the world.

It was not the whispers of the audience who surrounded him on this fateful day, but the whispers of the dead.

It calmed him.

He did not fear the dead, unlike some blond idiot who trembled and looked spooked whenever he entered the Uchiha family compound, muttering things like 'creepy' or ' I swear that tree just waved at me.' All nins encountered death sooner or later in their life and did not fear it. Until just recently, Sasuke welcomed it.

During those days, he felt as if every single cell in his body was screaming in anguish, sorrow and frustration. There was nothing holding him back in the living world, only revenge. Every blow, every thrust was as treated as his last. He placed his life on the line in every battle, fighting to the edge of collapse, hoping that perhaps, just perhaps, his life might end just like that. He survived every time, another day drowning in the burning hell of revenge.

But now, he had a mission that did not permit him to cowardly take the easy way out.

"Order!"

Sasuke looked up. The Hokage had seated herself in front of him on top of a dais. His pink haired ex-teammate sat next to her, pen poised. He could see her eyebrows furrowed in worry as she watched him and the rest of the room. He spotted Naruo after a quick glance around the room sitting with that dark haired male who replaced him along with most of their yearmates. The rest of the audience were mainly Konoha shinobi with a few civilians, no doubt curious as to what was happening. Usually, trials of this nature were carried out behind closed doors in fear of leaking village secrets. Rarely would the Hokage allow any trial to be public. Both the Hokage and he agreed that his case was an exceptional one. The trial of the last known survivor and member of the Uchicha Massare and the infamous betrayer of the village.

Swinging back to focus on the Hokage, Sasuke saw the two Konoha council members sitting on dasis who seemed to be fighting between feeling smug and annoyed.

Ruthless cowards.

Sasuke's insides momentarily boiled up in anger. Patience, he told himself. They would get what they deserved soon.

"Silence" shouted the Hokage, as she pounded a fist into the wall. The whole chamber shook from the force and the audience immediately quieted down in the face of the Hokage's impatience.

Satisfied that she finally had everyone's attention, she calmly rearranged her robes and nodded to the guards at the entrance who closed the doors shut.

"Usually, traitors of the village would be privately trialled and executed with only a small announcement on the notice board outside the Hokage tower. However, I have decreed that it is in the interest of Konoha that the trial of Uchiha Sasuke be a public one given that his actions have indirectly led to the Fourth Shinobi World War and the death of countless nins and civilians." Tsuanade said tersely, ignoring the murmurs from the audience. "This is even more relevant given that our village is again rebuilding itself from the losses sustained in the war."

"Uchiha Sasuke, stand up and face me."

He stood up as instructed, eyes staring straight at the council members seated next to the Hokage.

Soon. Very soon. He clenched his fists for a few seconds and released it. A few hours was nothing compared to the years he had already endured.

The Hokage nodded to Shizune who stood near him. Shizune stepped forward into the limelight and took out a scroll. She opened it and the end of the scroll bounced off the floor with a length of at least a few feet long.

"Uchiha Sasuke." Shizune announced solemnly, her voice echoing loudly. "You are hereby accused of the following crimes…"

It took her at least fifteen minutes to read out the whole scroll. Sasuke was not surprised to hear that he was accused of aiding the Snake Sanin, Kabuto, Akatsuki and some other missing nin he had the misfortune of meeting in his years of wandering. However, he raised an eyebrow when he heard the long list of names of people he was involved in murdering or harming, both directly and indirectly, including Asuma. It seemed that the Hokage and Shizune had done their best to pin every single crime onto him, down to the missing cat of the fire daimayo who ran away due to the sounds of war.

"Uchiha Sasuke, do you plead guilty to all of your crimes?" the Hokage asked once Shizune had finished reading out the scroll.

"Yes." He said, just as planned.

The audience roared at his answer. Sasuke watched his female ex-teammate snap her pen in horror as she gasped. He saw the council members twitch beside the Hokage, no doubt pleased with themselves that he was to be executed.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself before I announce your sentence?" The Hokage shouted at him above the noise. Almost immediately, the crowd went silent, every eye focused on him waiting for his reply.

"Yes I do. However, I have a request."

The Hokage raised her eyebrow, a shadow of a smirk on her face. He had to admit that she was doing a fine of job of acting. "I see no reason to say no. Let's hear it."

"No one is to interrupt me until I have finished speaking."

"Granted. On my orders, no one is to interrupt him or they shall face punishment. "

Sasuke closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself. This was it.

Contrary to what many people would have done in his place, Sasuke did not prepare a speech. He did not rehearse. It was not necessary. In his mind, countless scenes unfolded, all playing concurrently. Every body movement, every facial expression, each scar and wound, everything was as clear and vivid as if it had just happened this morning.

His brother, face cracked, eyes hollow and dead, brought back to life by the unnatural ninjitsu. Yet somehow, his brother reached out and touched him with his bare, dry hands. His brother loved him, despite all he had done and all that had happened.

His brother had loved him all along. His beloved and loyal brother, Uchiha Itachi.

Your sacrifice will be told to the world, ni-san. He thought to himself.

His mind focussed onto the very scene which was the start of this tragedy, watching it unfold in his mind through the eyes of his brother.

"A few years ago before the Uchiha Massacre, my brother, Uchiha Itachi, was summoned to a secret meeting with the Hokage and the Konoha council…":

It took more than an hour for him to finish. He started from his brother's story and fused it seamlessly with his own. What was done in Sound. What decisions he made. What drove him onwards. The final battle between the brothers. The war. His last meeting with his brother.

Sasuke was never an eloquent speaker. In the days when he was still a gennin with his team in Konoha, only spiteful words spewed out of his mouth. Once he stared training with the Snake Sanin, he found out very quickly that the best way to stay alive was to keep his mouth shut and maintain a poker face. He was a young, inexperienced teenage boy amidst ferocious and envious missing nin twice his age who wouldn't think twice before gutting him in order to take his position. After he killed the Snake Sanin, the force of a cold glare was more much efficient than a word when dealing with his enemies.

His words came out unsmooth and jaggered. The narration was rough and torn around the edges with no polish. He winced inwardly as he felt that he was doing no justice to his brother story. But he had to go on for there was no one else to carry out this duty.

His throat felt painful and sore from speaking loudly so that everyone could hear him. When he finally finished, the scene of his undead brother crumbling to dust dissolving from his mind, he opened his eyes to see the Hokage raising an eyebrow with grim satisfaction and the two council members trembling with rage.

"Preposterous! This is utter rubbish! Tsunade, how could you let this boy ramble on like this? Do you how his lies could affect the village in the state that it is in now? This is why we have trials in private!" Homura Mitokado shouted.

"Lies, you say?" the Hokage asked sarcastically as she turned her head to the fuming council members. "So you are saying that you had no part in the Uchiha Massacre?"

Homura frozen for a second before narrowing his eyes. "Tsunade. This is not a matter to be discussed in public! This is obviously within the category of top class village secrets! I do not understand your insistence for this trial to be public!"

"Indeed. I demand that the audience be removed this instant so that no further lies can be used to corrupt the reputation of Konoha." said Koharu Utatane as she pulled her robes furiously.

"I am afraid I cannot agree to that." The Hokage frowned and shook her head at the council members. "ANBU."

Immediately, a few masked nin appeared behind the council members and held them down while another few brought a few boxes and placed them in front of the Hokage.

The audience immediately came to an uproar while some even stood up in shock.

"Tsunade, what is the meaning of this? Are you trying to usurper our power?" the Homura shouted as he tried to stand up and failed.

"Council members, you shall address me properly as the Hokage." The Hokage spat as she stood up and faced the audience.

"Order! Listen or I shall truly throw you all out of the chambers!" She roared and the noise quieted down somewhat. "Before the end of the Fourth Shinobi World War, I received intel from reliable resources that something was out of place regarding the Uchiha clan massacre. This point was further brought to my attention by Uchiha Sasuke. I then created a special group of elite nins to investigate this matter and new evidence, which were painstakingly hidden from plain view obviously due to its dangerous implication, have come to light."

Sasuke knew that his former sensei, Kakashi was part of this investigation group, which explained his rare appearance ever since his return to the village. The Hokage then took out various stacks of documents which were heavily noted and stuck with tags and slammed them onto the table.

"I have before me documents detailing the alleged secret meetings carried out between the missing nin Uchiha Itachi, the then Hokage and the council members present today. The contents of the documents match with the accused's testimony. We have also discovered reports from Uchiha Itachi before the Massacre with his findings of a planned coup and after the Massacre where he gave us intel on the Akatsuki and other matters unfavourable to Konoha."

"Where did you find these documents?" growled Koharu.

"Sealed in a place only known by the Hokages of the village and hidden by Uchiha Itachi himself in places only known by very few. You must have thought that you burnt all records of this matter and hoped that no one would find out, didn't you?" The Hokage smirked cruelly.

Sasuke watched in satisfaction as the two council members' faces turned from red, to blue and finally pale white. Everything was going according to plan.

"We demand a fair trial! It is obvious that this scheme was well thought of beforehand and we have the right to prepare our own case against this…this.. defamation!" Homura argued.

"No." the Hokage shook her head. "You shall not have a trial."

She then turned her face to look at the audience.

"Let this be a clear message to all. Konoha is a nin village. We are not a country. We are not a democracy nor a monarchy. We are not ruled by a damiyo. We are ninjas and the Hokage position is given to the strongest nin in the village. We are not ruled by the usual conventions of other countries. We live by our own rules and regulations. We may accept a mission to protect a certain party today and accept another mission to assassinate the same party tomorrow. We hold no alliance and owe no loyalty to anyone but ourselves. We each have our own way of the nin, be it to complete a mission at all costs or to prioritize team safety. We are nins, we live by the second. It is us against the rest of the world. We care only for our own, which is why the price of betraying our village is harsh with no pity. There is no place for total fairness and justice in our life when our lives are at stake every moment."

The Hokage then turned to the silent council members and continued. " You are not worthy of any trial at all, nor do you have a chance to defend yourself. The evidence is clear in front of me. It was a fact that the Uchiha clan planned a coup. However, they had not yet done anything unfavourable to the village to forward this coup. It was all discussions and strategic placing of personnel in the ranks of Konoha. There were many options to choose and yet you, including the Third Hokage decided to take the quick and easy way out. Annihilating a whole ninja clan!"

The Hokage slammed her fist against her desk, creating a dent, to prove her anger. Sasuke could feel his heartbeat pounding loudly in his ears as heat spread throughout his body as she continued.

"A clan that held a bloodline limit unique and integral to the village. By doing so, you not only betrayed the people of this village by destroying a strong force and leaving the village with one less defence, you murdered countless innocent people who had nothing to do with the plan to overthrow the ruling party. One example is standing in front of you" The Hokage pointed to Sasuke and he felt the eyes of all immediately focus on him.

"Uchiha Sasuke knew nothing and had no part in the plan. Yet his whole family was killed in front of him, no trial and no explanation was given. You have given an order that has in fact murdered his soul and left him an empty husk only intent on revenge. And look how that turned out? Not only Konoha but all the ninja villages now bear the brunt of his anger. Where is the justice? Where is the fairness?"

The council members opened their mouths to argue but were silenced by senbons placed in their throats by the ANBU restraining them.

"Konoha gives no mercy to those who harm their own. How are we better than common mercenaries, thugs and thieves if we cannot even protect our own?"

The silence in the chamber was as heavy as stone as the Hokage turned to Sasuke. A few gasped as they saw her bow to the dark haired survivor of the tragedy.

"Uchiha Sasuke. On behalf of Konoha, I apologize for what had happened."

After a few seconds, she stood up again.

"It is a fact that the Uchiha Clan at that time was planning a coup. This is an act of treason which would have been punished harshly if proven true. If they saw themselves strong enough to rule the village, a more proper procedure would be a direct challenge to duel with the Hokage instead of revolting behind the scene. However, the Uchiha Massacre is something of the past and I shall now come back to the issue of Uchiha Sasuke. By order of the power vested in me as the Hokage of Konoha, I hereby announce that the fitting sentence for all the crimes committed by Uchiha Sasuke be execution."

Susuke watched the pink haired medic, who was watching the whole scene unfold with her mouth wide open, gasped and stand up.

"Sit down Sakura. I am not finished. Take notes." The Hokage said as she pushed her apprentice back down onto the seat.

"However, the root of all of his crimes was directly and indirectly caused by the reckless and selfish decision of the Hokage and the council members. I therefore announce that most of the crimes committed by Uchiha Sasuke be transferred to the Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane."

The two council members who turned paler and paler by each of the Hokage's words struggled and were held tight to their seats while the rest of the room stood up and roared deafening.

"However! However! Everyone, shut up and sit back down!" the Hokage growled and pounded her fist into the wall again, causing the whole chamber to shake.

Flicking away pieces of dust that floated from the ceiling from her eyes, the Hokage coughed and continued with a somewhat painful expression. "However, Konoha is not a merciless place, nor will I ever let the world spread false rumours of how the Hokage blatantly ignored past loyalty and abandoned its own people without a regard. As such, I hereby announce that a permanent banishment from the village be a fitting punishment for Homura Mitokado and Koharu Ultatane. Sentence is to be carried out immediately!"

Although Sasuke had the general idea of the Hokage's plan beforehand, upon hearing those words from her mouth, his mind stopped working. Everything blurred out and noise became muffled.

Finally. He thought dazedly to himself as he watched the Hokage sweep out of the chambers with the ANBU dragging the wheezing council members along.

He felt himself being towed along by a familiar blond idiot out of the chambers and stumbled along the newly laid village roads.

Trees, buildings, familiar faces both old and new flashed quickly before his eyes and before he knew it, he was standing at the gate with a suddenly large crowd watching on as the Hokage stared down at the kneeling council members before her.

He shook himself out of his daze and stepped forward, only to be stopped by the Hokage.

"Not yet." She mumbled quietly so that only he could hear her before she raised her voice to speak to the elders.

"Your belongings have already been collected and sealed within these scrolls." The Hokage took a few scrolls that were handed to her by Shizune and threw them onto the ground.

"The moment you step out of Konoha, you shall no longer be known as a Konoha nin. Konoha owes no protection to you from anyone and you are to be left to fend for yourself."

With a curt nod, she motioned the ANBU holding onto the council members to pick them up and deposited them just outside of the gate with their belongings while the large crowd behind silently watched.

The senbons in their throats were removed quickly and the council members slowly stood up, no doubt aching from the rough treatment from their former comrades.

For a few moments, the council members stared back hatedly at the Hokage.

"So, it has come to this Tsunade." Homura said. "It would seem that you have it all planned out from the beginning."

The Hokage smirked viciously. "Just as you had everything planned out. What goes around, comes around. It was just about time you received your due."

She turned around to face the crowd who all had mixed expressions of shock, fear and satisfaction.

"Uchiha Sasuke has been on probation under the eye of ANBU ever since he returned to the village. Upon reading their reports, I am satisfied that Uchiha Sasuke is remorseful and possesses no threat to Konoha. He has tried to integrate himself back into the society and is willing to become a helpful member of our village. I hereby announce that Uchiha Sasuke is no longer labelled as a missing nin and is reinstated back as a gennin. However, he is subject to various limitations including a prohibition of stepping 10 meters away from Konoha without supervision until I order otherwise and shall not embark on any mission without my permission. Uchiha Sasuke, do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand." He said stoically. Almost. Just a moment more.

The Hokage nodded and continued. "I also hereby announce that Uchiha Itachi is no longer labelled as a missing nin but a well-respected and self-sacrificing Konoha nin." She paused for a bit before giving Sasuke a gentle look. " His name shall be craved into the stone of remembrance without delay."

Something strong was bordering on bursting out of his body. It fought and screamed and burnt him without mercy. But he held on. Just a moment longer.

"Thank you." He said with a faint tremble in his voice.

"Here." Said a familiar voice next to him. Sasuke turned and saw his blond idiotic teammate grinning from ear to ear. In his hand lay a headband. His old headband.

Sasuke quietly took it from Naruto's hand and tied it against his forehead. Kakashi stepped forward and handed over Kusanagi, his sword which was confiscated long ago. He took a deep breath and nodded to Naruto and his ex-sensei. Both uncharacteristically just slapped his shoulder and stepped back to stand with Sakura.

Saskuke turned around to face the ex-council members who continued to stand outside the gate of Konoha, their faces livid with anger after listening to the Hokage's announcement.

There was no need to hold back anymore.

He lifted his foot and stepped out of the gates of Konoha.

It was time.


	9. Chapter 9

Stranger by angrypixels

* * *

She knew what was going to happen.

Sakura was nowhere dimwitted and being the Hokage's aide for the past years gave her an insight on her mentor's mentality and reasoning. It was a brilliant plan, really. Getting rid of a troublesome group of stubborn people without getting your hands dirty. Being a nin was not all about killing and fetching. Cunning political maneuverer was essential and could save a hidden village from blowing up from inside out and keep all the nin clans one big happy family.

The ex-council standing outside the village gate apparently didn't have much political skill, given their current state.

It all felt a little surreal to her. The Uchiha clan massacre truth. It was not surprising, as she had seen even more outrageous and cold-blooded actions done by people during her career. However, Sasuke and his life of revenge was something that played a strong role in some parts of her life and the moment she found out that his anger filled chase around the nation for his brother was all for naught, she did not dare imagine how Sasuke felt.

Sakura stood near the gate along with Naruto and Kakashi, watching nervously as Sasuke walked out of the village and stood before the exiled elders. Sakura could only see his backside, straight and unmoving. His headband was tied around his head and his black hair waved gently in the wind. The whole image of him, a nin of Konoha again, was surreal as well.

"Boy. You had this all planned out with her, didn't you? Haven't caused enough trouble for everyone else already?" Homura growled with venom as he stood his ground and stared back unwavering.

Sasuke answered by raising his hands and quickly forming a series of seals. Immediately, slithering shadows burst out of the ground to bind the two elders tightly with their limbs stretched out in the air.

Snakes. Black and red snakes the size of her thigh. No doubt he learnt this jitsu from a certain traitor.

Both elders widened their eyes in fear as they struggled to move and speak. However, the snakes had wound themselves around their necks and pierced their throats with fangs, immobilizing their body and rendering them silent

With a twitch of his fingers, the snakes shifted so that the head of the two captives swerved to face Sasuke.

Sasuke moved closer to stare at them almost nose to nose. Sakura couldn't see his face, but by the twitches and widening of his captives faces, she knew he was definitely giving them a close up view of his activated mangekyou sharingan in its full glory.

After what seemed like an eternity, Sasuke took a step back and took out his sword. With quick slices, both of the captives' robes and undergarments parted and slid off. The snakes then moved and tightened strategically so that fleshy pieces of such as their thighs, waists and chests were squeezed outwards.

Sasuke then placed his blade against the trembling fleshy thigh of Homura and stared into his eyes.

"My brother's eyes shall watch you suffer in silence."

Instead of his infamous lightning speed, Sakura watched his blade cutting through the flesh at an agonizing slow pace while he kept his glaze steadily on Homura's face. Once freed, the pieces of white thigh flesh dropped onto the floor at their feet. Blood sprayed everywhere like a broke fountain but Sasuke stood unmoving with his back to the crowd. He then proceeded with the same with Koharu.

Once Sasuke was finished with the thigh areas, he stepped lightly to the side of Homura and held out his sword in front of Homura's white face.

The two ex-council members trembled violently despite behind bound firmly and their eyes bulged out in terror.

"These lips shall no longer spread lies and pain."

A blur of a sword later, both of Homura and Koharu's lips were added to the pile on the ground, their mouths becoming gaping black holes as they wheezed loudly and erratically.

Next, Sasuke twirled to stand behind Koharu and placed his sword against the side of Koharu's head, right above her ears. Sakura could see beads of sweat and tears trickling down from Koharu's face onto the blood soaked ground.

"Pleas for mercy shall no longer fall on your deaf ears."

Within a seconds, two pairs of ears tumbled onto the ground and bounced away.

"Do you not smell the stench of blood on your hands?"

Disfigured pieces of noses followed next.

Sakura could not breath nor blink as she continued to watch Sasuke slowly and methodically slice off fingers, toes, followed by hands and feet. Arms were removed at the elbow in clean chops and legs flung carelessly away while knee caps popped out violently.

By the time the two traitor's shoulders and hips were saw off, both the tormentor and the victims were literally drowning in blood and gore.

Sakura knew from experience that the victims were still alive and conscious but would not survive much longer.

Sasuke obviously also knew the extent of the remaining life force in the bodies in front of him. Once he was satisfied with the pain inflicted, he stepped backwards and held out his sword which was dripping dark red from hilt to edge. Suddenly, bolts of lightning appeared and twisted brightly around the sword.

Sasuke lifted his bright sword to eye level and pointed it at his still breathing victims.

"The heart that reigned madness shall beat no more."

Within a blink of an eye, the blazing sword was stabbed deeply into Koharu's chest while tendrils of bright lighting burnt her skin and flesh. As quickly as it went in, it was removed and plunged in the same manner into Homura's heart.

Finally, he whisked his sword out and swirled his body away from the victims while their decapitated heads went flying in different direction.

Streaks of blood covered his face. His usually spiky hair was matted down in gore and his clothes hung heavily in liquid crimson. With his eyes closed, it was as if he was crying tears of blood. Sakura could feel her heart turn to ice at the sight.

Once the two heavily disfigured heads thumped onto the floor, Sasuke slowly opened his eyes and a pair of full-fledged mangekyo sharingnan glowered at the crowd.

Sakura resisted the subconscious urge to step backwards. She could feel some of the crowd moving restlessly behind her.

"Amaterasu." His toneless voice echoed in the air.

Flailing shadows of black fire burst behind Sasuke like a dark sun, lighting the remains of the bloody massacre into a explosion of pulsing ebony light. The fire blazed high into the air and for a few moments, the world seemed to fall into a realm of nightmare.

Sakura immediately closed her eyes yet she could feel the scorching heat on her eye lids.

Amaterasu, the fire from hell that burns for seven days and seven nights.

A traitor's end for Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane.

The flames gradually died out but both Sasuke and the crowd stood unmoving, the latter obviously dumbstruck from what had happened before their eyes. All that was left of the horrifying scene was a wide piece of black, scorched ground with a strong smell of burnt flesh in the air.

Nins and even civilians who lived in nin villages were used to death. In pure battle such as the fourth ninja war, enemies were killed or incapacitated as quickly as possible. However, in interrogation, enemies were tortured with the goal of keeping them sufficiently alive to obtain useful information. Not all nins saw the interior of interrogation rooms which was left to specialist who could stomach it all.

Sakura had always been thankful she was never there to watch the whole procedure, only instructed to arrive at the end to heal the clump of still living human flesh.

It wasn't the blood, gore or the stench of death that made her freeze from the moment Sasuke's blade first flashed in the sun. It was the emotionlessness, preciseness and cruelty that pulsed and echoed with each and every calculated slash.

It rang familiar in a very, very wrong way.

She, along with many others in the crowd, momentarily forgot that those ashes scattered into the wind were traitors. The only thought that went through their minds was that those were once Konoha nins. Just like them.

"Monster…" a civilian, who finally managed to finally get hold of his conscious, squeaked as he backed up and turned to run for his life. The rest of the civilians followed suit within the next few seconds and even a few Konoha nins.

The blood soaked figure in front of them carelessly waved his sword in the air in a flurry of moments, flicking off the blood left on his sword, and then proceeded to tuck it between his belt. He then walk forward towards the gate entrance, his red, glowing eyes fixed on every single one of them stand there.

It was as if those very eyes were fixed on her.

Before she knew it, Sakura's cold, shivering hands were lifted to cover her mouth. She could feel her eyes widen and her lips trembling while she tried very hard not to scream.

At that precise moment, she finally recognized him, that man who was slowly walking towards them. Just as he did many months ago. Everyone who participated in the fourth ninja war recognized him.

He was not a stranger. He was that familiar monster.


End file.
